More Seats From America And Abu Dhabi Will Boost Tourism

Senator Catherine Noone today welcomed news that Etihad Airlines intend to increase capacity on their Dublin to Abu Dhabi route by 34% from July 2nd. Senator Noone said: “This move will see 3,600 more seats per month on flights coming into Dublin from Abu Dhabi and is a clear statement of intent on Etihad’s part which I welcome. Following on from the announcement that there would be a 26% increase in airline seats between the US and Ireland this summer, this signals that there is plenty of upward potential for Ireland’s tourism market if we can fill those seats”.

Senator Noone added: “Ensuring that the infrastructure exists to carry an increased number of passengers from both the United States and the United Arab Emirates will mean that, in all likelihood, a higher number of passengers will travel here and – as such – should be a significant boost to the tourism industry. With Etihad increasing their capacity by over 15,000 seats for the rest of 2013, and the US increasing the capacity coming to Ireland by 26% over the summer, we have real upward trajectory”.

Senator Noone concluded: “In the year of The Gathering, any increase in capacity has to be welcomed and having two such announcements within a short space of each other is significant”.